


We'll Keep You Safe

by Somnolent



Series: Charlotte & James [1]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Autistic Character, I'll add more tags later on, Implied engiespy, M/M, Scout and Sniper get to be dads, because the child was abused before they found him, but it overall is gonna be a fluffy fic about sniper and scout raising a kid, so that's there, spy gets to be a grandpa i guess, the child is nonverbal with high functioning autism, there is mentions of medical stuff, there's also implied child abuse, there's gonna be a lot of cute moments along with funny ones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:27:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28521651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somnolent/pseuds/Somnolent
Summary: Scout finds a sick child near the RED base one afternoon. After realizing this child's situation, Scout decides to take care of them. Along with the help of his boyfriend, Sniper.No, this will not include anything pregnancy related. I have tokophobia. The next fic, however, will. Because my therapist and I have made excellent progress with handling my tokophobia.
Relationships: Scout/Sniper (Team Fortress 2)
Series: Charlotte & James [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2206167
Comments: 68
Kudos: 57





	1. The Sick Child Outside

**Author's Note:**

> TW medical stuff, implied child abuse, etc.

The RED base was quiet during the late afternoon. It was that short period of time in between the battles and the celebrations for said battles. Scout normally did his runs in the morning, but today shifted his schedule a bit. He had to take his jog after work instead of before. It was annoying to have his routine altered. But he was very glad it was different today. Because if he hadn't gone outside at 16:43, he wouldn't have found a sickly child sitting outside the RED base's garage door. 

It was odd, almost frightening, to see a small child with cuts and bruises laying in front of the door wheezing. Scout immediately shifted his attention to the child once he saw it. Even though that meant he couldn't finish his run. As he got closer, it became more apparent that this kid was running out of time. His arms were skinnier than normal. His breathing was weak. There were a fairly concerning amount of physical problems with this kid. He was no doctor, but he could tell this kid needed medical attention immediately. 

"Hey, buddy. What are you doin' out here?" Scout kneeled down to be at his level. The kid looked up. His eyes met Scout's. The runner could see so much pain and misery in this little kid's eyes. He looked miserable. He reminded Scout of himself at a very young age. Those days when his brothers would receive all the attention and he would be neglected. Never to this degree, though. Scout knew he had to help this kid. Regardless of the rules that the higher-ups put in place.

"You really look like you need help. I can help you." Scout stood up, offering his hand. "Come on." The kid didn't respond. He tried to stand up, but fell flat on his face. After waiting another minute or so, Scout decided to just pick the kid up. He was shockingly lightweight. Which just made him walk even faster. 

Once they were inside, Scout carried the kid with one arm. The kid was clinging to his side, shivering and hiding his face in his shoulder. He made his way towards the infirmary. Not many of the other mercenaries were around. Thankfully, Medic was in his infirmary. 

"Doc, I need your help." Scout said as he opened the door. Medic rolled his eyes.

"I thought I told you to knock when there is no emergency! Vhat is-" Medic noticed the child in the other's arms and his frustration was dropped. "Vhere did they come from?" His tone changed to a quieter, more soft one. He stepped forward to see the kid, but stopped when the kid started whimpering.

"I dunno. I was outside doin' laps and they were just sitting out there. They were leanin' up against the garage door or somethin'." Scout spoke with an equally worried and soft tone, which was something Medic hadn't heard him use in a while. Obviously this kid meant something to him.

"Please tell me there's somethin' you can do for them." Scout didn't like how Medic's shoulders dropped when he said that. That usually meant something wasn't right.

"I can see vhat I can do. But unfortunately, I have to use basic medicine instead of our advanced medical technology." Medic responded. Scout raised an eyebrow,.

"It means I won't be able to use the medigun on them. So the healing process might be slower." Medic looked at Scout, who looked really disappointed. "Can you bring them to the table?" He walked to the table and tried to set the child down. But the child held onto his shirt tightly. Somehow, in the thirty minutes that he had known this kid, they had already made a tight connection with him. 

"Look, pal. I can't hold you right now. You gotta let go of me." Scout tried to give the kid a reassuring smile, but it fell quickly. "You can do this." The kid thought about it for a moment and then let go. They watched Scout leave the room, feeling terribly anxious and upset. 

Medic did everything he could to help keep the kid calm as he examined them. Though his own anxiety felt a little overwhelming at times. Seeing such a young child so physically ill was heartbreaking. Not just from a medical standpoint, but an emotional one too. He wasn't heartless. The kid stayed on the table at least. But they did start crying occasionally. Especially when Medic had to touch their chest. 

It was obvious this kid was dying. But it was surprising to see all the factors that contributed to said condition. The kid was covered in bruises. They were eerily skinny under their grey shirt. They were very dehydrated and starved. Medic let out a stressed sigh once he wrote down what he learned and what treatments this kid would have to go through. Scout was not going to take this well. Neither was the kid. 

Scout waited just outside the infirmary while Medic conducted the examination. He had only known this kid for an hour and he was already so attached to them. It may have been because of how much they reminded him of himself. Seeing a neglected child covered in dirt brought out the "I-will-do-everything-I-can-for-people-I-care-about-or-relate-to" side in him. Maybe he was being a bit obsessive. Regardless, he didn't want to see this kid suffer. He didn't want them to experience any of the self-conscious thoughts or depression he did. 

"Hey, Roo." Sniper said, interrupting his thoughts. "Ya look real worried. What's goin' on?" Scout looked up at him, eyes wide. He wasn't expecting his boyfriend to be observing him in his anxious state. 

"Oh! I'm.. uhh…" Scout looked at the door to the infirmary, pondering whether or not he should tell him. "Waiting for someone?" Sniper raised an eyebrow. He tried to think of who but nothing came to mind. Then Medic partially answered his question. 

"Scout, you can come back in now. I've completed his examination." Medic held a clipboard with multiple sheets of paper. "Also, they are a boy. If you.. were wondering about pronouns." Scout looked relieved to hear this. Sniper was confused even further. 

"Snipes, you might wanna stay out here for a moment." Scout said before walking in the room. Medic followed. They closed the door, leaving Sniper alone with his confusion.

' _ It's a boy? _ ' 

  
  


Scout saw that the kid was sitting on the table, shivering. He was crying a little as well. But when he saw Scout, he stopped for a moment and made a grabbing motion with his hands towards him. He ran to him, picking him up immediately. 

"Hey, buddy! I'm here." Scout reassured him. "So what's goin' on, Doc?" Medic tensed up for a brief second as he looked through his notes. That wasn't a good sign.

"Vell, he's severely dehydrated and starving. He needs to be put on an IV as soon as possible. But, considering the psychological damage I can assume he has had, I vanted you in the room for that." As Medic continued, Scout's somewhat bright smile faded. "He needs to avoid a lot of movement for a few weeks. So, he might have to stay here for a little while." The child started to cry again. He buried his face in Scout's shirt again. Clearly, he didn't want that. 

"Doc, there's gotta be somethin' I can do. Right?" Scout asked, still holding the crying child. "Maybe he can stay in my room with the IV in him?" The other processed the idea for a moment. Perhaps there were some benefits to having the child stay with Scout. Obviously, the two were closely connected. The kid didn't want to leave Scout's side. But he still needed to monitor the child's health. 

"I suppose that's an acceptable idea. But I still need to monitor the child's health closely." Medic responded. "Perhaps I could have you bring him here for a check up every evening after work?"

"I can do that." Scout looked at the kid, who had stopped crying. "Right, little buddy?" The child didn't respond in any way, but he could tell he was agreeing in his own way. 

"Good. I need to connect him to the IV now. Do you think you can keep him steady and calm for that?" Medic pulled up an IV stand and grabbed the supplies. He nodded. 

  
  



	2. Telling Sniper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After taking the kid to Medic, Scout gets ready to take him to his room so he can take care of him. But, he runs into Sniper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sniper in this story is gonna be a bit of a dick sometimes but that's just how I write him normally. All Too Familiar is not an example of "normal sniper" in my writing.
> 
> Also Scout has little fantasies about being a dad. So there's that to look forward to, right?

Sniper was still standing by the infirmary doors. It had been about fifteen minutes since he saw Scout walk in. He was about to leave when he heard a child's cries followed by Scout reassuring said child. He wanted to go into the room and find out what was happening. But, he knew to stay there. Good thing he didn't have to wait for very long, as Scout and whatever child he heard walked out of the infirmary. He was carrying in one arm what looked to be a four year old boy with an IV attached to his tiny hand. Scout's other hand was dragging said IV out of the room. 

"I can take it from here, Doc. I-" Scout stopped in his tracks when he saw Sniper still standing there. "Y-You're probably wondering what's goin' on.." The child looked at Sniper, seeming calmer than when he looked at Medic for the first time. Sniper looked at Scout and the kid with a confused, almost frustrated expression. 

"Yeah, I am. Where did this little thing come from?" Sniper sounded accusatory. Not overtly, but it was there in his tone of voice and word choice. It took Scout a moment to understand why he was upset, but when he realized it he almost dropped the kid. 

"Nonono! It's not like that. He's not from some other chick. You know I wouldn't do that." Scout looked at the kid, who was almost asleep it seemed. "I found him when I was outside doin' laps. He was shivering and leaning up against Engie's garage door. I couldn't leave him there. I took him to Medic because he was dying! I can't let that happen! But now he's clinging to me like I'm his ma or somethin'." Sniper went from angry to understanding in a matter of seconds. He felt ashamed for assuming such a stupid thing. This was clearly a situation that needed to be treated with love and understanding. But he got frustrated instead. 

"Oh. I'm sorry for assumin' such a thing." Sniper looked at the kid. "You're amazin', ya know? Takin' care of a little kid just hours after you found 'em. You're already doin' better than what my parents did with me." Scout chuckled a little.

"By that logic, I could be, like, his temporary dad." Scout smiled. "I guess that makes you also his temporary dad?" Sniper blushed a little at that one. The thought made him mildly uncomfortable but he thought it was cute regardless. They laughed a little, trying to keep quiet.

"I should probably get him to my room so I don't break my arms tryin' to keep him steady. He is pretty lightweight, though." Before Scout left, Sniper placed a kiss on his forehead. 

"Alright, I'll see ya durin' dinner." Sniper headed to the mess hall. Scout smiled and nodded, then walked to his room. 

They entered Scout's room. It was definitely no place for a small child, but at least it was something. He set the child down on his own bed. He would figure out a better solution later. For now, he let the kid sleep on his bed. He set the IV stand close to the bed, allowing the child to move around if needed. He never really took the time to look at this kid's appearance. He had light brown hair that went from the center of his head in waves down to the sides. It covered his ears. It reminded him of those cheesy surfers he would see in TV shows and movies. His eyes were a light blue. His clothes were certainly messy and needed to be replaced soon. His long sleeved grey shirt had holes in it. While his jeans were covered in dirt. He didn't have shoes. Apparently, he didn't have shoes this whole time. Scout just never noticed.

Scout wondered what this kid's name was. If he didn't have a name, what would he call him? Jack? No, that doesn't fit him. Michael? Nah, every kid nowadays is named Michael. James? Maybe. That sounded cool.

Now, he thought about what he said earlier about being a dad. Imagine the team's response to that. He could see it now. What his teammates would call his little family. 'Ah, yes. The family created by sheer luck and timing: Jeremy, Mundy, and their son James.'

That sounded quite nice, actually. 


	3. Little Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The child tries to walk to the infirmary and back with the help of Scout and Medic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be longer, but to keep the schedule in my head going, I cut it shorter. The next chapter will be out eventually.  
> Also, can you tell that I have childhood trauma?

The next morning was weird. Scout woke up on the floor. His hat and headphones were still partially on his head. It seemed like he fell asleep while leaning on the side of the bed. Then fell to the floor. He wasn't sure how the kid slept through that. He stood up and looked around for a moment. Then he panicked when he saw that the IV was empty and that the kid wasn't moving. 

"Oh nonono…" Jeremy panicked. "Come on, buddy. Please be alive." He held the kid's tiny hand, gently tugging on it. The kid woke up slowly. He calmed down when the kid's eyes opened. 

"Oh thank god." Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. "I'm going to be right back, ok? I promise." The kid looked at him, processing what he said. By the time he realized what he had said, Scout was already gone. He started to cry. Not loudly, however. 

Once Medic and Scout arrived with the new supplies, The child's crying had quieted down. Scout quickly sat down with the kid on the bed. He held the hand with the IV piece. He had done this earlier when Medic attached the IV drip. It seemed to comfort him. Because having a strange cold liquid enter your body through your nimble hand is a bizarre and uncomfortable feeling.

"Herr Scout? Should we inform the rest of the team about this child?" Medic asked as he hooked the bag onto the stand. He thought about it for a moment before answering. If he were to tell everyone in the base about the child, he would be risking his reputation, his job, and most importantly, the child's safety. But if he didn't tell everyone, he would be bombarded with questions daily. People asking about the crying coming from his room and such. 

"I don't think we should. Let's keep this a secret between you, me, and Sniper." Scout responded. 

"Sniper already knows?" Medic paused, realizing how obvious it was. "Oh, yes. That's right. You two were waiting outside the infirmary yesterday." Scout nodded in acknowledgement. Then he noticed something that the child was doing. He was kicking his legs up and down while laying on the bed. He seemed somewhat antsy like something was wrong. 

"What's up, buddy?" Scout asked. The child continued kicking and pointed at the door. 

"You wanna go out there?" The child nodded in response. "Can he go out there, Doc? Or does he still need to stay in bed?" 

"I would suggest that he stay here for the sake of keeping the secret. But, he does need to do physical therapy to get his body moving again." Medic watched the kid kick his legs in the air. "Vhich doesn't seem to be much of a problem. But, he still needs the walking regardless." He pushed his glasses back up his nose as he continued.

"Perhaps, he can try to walk to the infirmary with your assistance? We do need to do his check up right about now." Medic suggested. Scout glanced at the kid and then back at the door. The kid seemed eager to move around. Why not?

"Sure." 

The walk from Scout's room to the infirmary doesn't seem like much of a challenge for most people. But for the kid, it was difficult. Scout held the child's hand as they walked. Medic rolled the IV stand along, going and slow as he could for the kid. The first few steps were uneasy and wobbly. Scout had to keep a hand behind the kid's back to prevent them from falling backwards. After that, it was just slow walking with a few wrong steps here and there. When they finally reached the door of the infirmary, Scout kneeled down in front of the kid and gave him a big smile. To which the child returned the smile. 

"You did an awesome job, buddy!" Scout whispered. The three of them walked into the infirmary, closing the door behind them. Scout picked up the kid, setting him on the table again. He stepped back but then the kid started to whimper a little. Then he went right back to holding his hand and being close to him.

"He's just goin' to see how you're doin'." Scout reassured him. Medic waited until the kid seemed calm enough to be close to before he continued. Scout gave them space, but he didn't leave the kid's line of sight. Medic checked basic vitals, looked at how his bruises were doing, and then checked the IV drip again. 

"Vell, not much has changed. He's still going to be weak for a little while and will need to stay on the IV. But he should be able to eat and drink." Scout's face lit up at that news. Then he blushed lightly when he thought of a very sweet scenario. He imagined Mundy, the kid, and himself enjoying one of the few recipes Ma taught him years ago. He imagined the three of them eating pancakes like a family. Family. With pancakes. His happy expression faded a little when he remembered the terrible events he associated with pancakes. But he didn't let it sour his mood completely. 

"You two should head back to your room before any of the others see you." Medic reminded Scout, looking at the clock in his office. 

"Oh crap- What time is it?" Scout asked, picking up the kid and holding him in one arm like usual. 

"It's 07:00." Scout quickly left the room with the kid, dragging the stand along. He looked down both directions of the halls, looking for anyone who was awake. It was a Saturday. So, he shouldn't be this concerned about others finding him. No one would be up at this hour on a Saturday. Or at least he hoped so. Soldier liked to get up extra early and create a loud ruckus to wake everyone up for the day. Usually with some musical instrument. Once they were in, Scout laid the kid down on his bed. He still had to figure out a better solution for the bed situation. But that didn't matter at the moment.


	4. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's dinnertime. Scout, Sniper, and the kid share grilled cheese sandwiches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adorableness coming your way!   
> Followed by depression but let's not worry about that!

The day passed by really fast. Before either of them knew it, it was dinner time. Scout had a plan for dinner as well. He had to go find Sniper, though. Thankfully, Sniper found him first. 

Both Scout and the kid were surprised by the knock at the door. Scout stood up and opened it just slightly. There was Sniper. 

"Snipes!" Scout smiled, opening the door just enough for Sniper to come through. He pulled the other in, closing the door behind him. Mundy was taken aback by the movement but understood once he saw what was going on. He saw the kid laying on Scout's bed, looking weak and IV still attached to his tiny hand. 

"Is this.. the kid from last night?" Mundy asked quietly. Jeremy nodded in response. There was a moment of awkward silence as the two stood close together. 

"Hey, Snipes?" Jeremy looked at him with an expression Mundy recognized as the ' _ I want something _ ' face. "Can you go pick up food from the mess hall for me and the kid?" The other sighed, looking disappointed. 

"Love, I just came back from there. Everyone's gettin' loud and rowdy. That's why I came to see ya. I wanted to spend the evening here." Mundy explained. He picked up his sunglasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I know but I really really don't want to leave the kid right now. I don't want him to start crying." Jeremy looked at Mundy with that stupid look again. 

"I'm not goin' back into the mess hall, Roo. It was makin' me angry and more anxious every second!" Mundy raised his voice a little, but quickly brought it back down when the kid started shifting. "Sorry.. I'm just not feelin' great about bein' in there again." 

"No, it's ok. I get that." Jeremy reassured him. "Just.. please try and keep the kid calm while I'm gone, ok?" He gave him a very quick kiss on the cheek before he opened the door. As soon as the door opened, the child started to shift again. They started to whimper. Jeremy looked at him for a moment.

"I'll be right back, buddy!" He said before closing the door and leaving. 

When Scout walked into the mess hall, it was as intense and loud as Sniper said it was. Everyone was talking over each other and Soldier was arguing with Engineer about something at a very high volume. Scout did his best to not attract attention to himself. Which partially failed since Medic gave him a look of concern for a brief moment. He took a can of Bonk! from the fridge, a beer for Sniper, and three of the grilled cheese sandwiches left. Which was weird since it seemed like everyone had grabbed theirs. But apparently not. He put them all in a brown paper bag and tried to leave without raising suspicion. He did, thankfully. 

As he walked away, he overheard Spy ask the rest of the team where his grilled cheese sandwich was. He could hear Engineer respond but it was incoherent from the distance he was at now. 

Meanwhile, in Scout's room, Sniper was sitting on the bed next to the kid. The kid was crying once Scout left. Sniper's only idea for a solution was to sit next to him and let the kid hold his hand. The child played with his significantly larger fingers, bending them and unbending them occasionally. He just sat there and watched as this kid happily held his hand. Who knew that this would be the solution. It brought a small smile to his face. 

"Ok so apparently they had grilled cheese sandwiches and I think I might have taken Spy's because I had to grab another one for-" Scout looked up at the two in front of him. "Oh my god. You guys are so cute right now!" He squealed a little, probably from the apparent 'cuteness' of the situation. The kid and Mundy looked up at Jeremy in sync. Which made him giggle.

Jeremy sat down on the end of the bed, handing out the sandwiches. He helped the kid readjust his body so he could sit upright to eat. Once the kid let go of Mundy's hand, he started eating his sandwich. It wasn't the best but he didn't mind. Especially when he had two people he loved with him.

"Ok, buddy. Be careful when you eat it. Don't take too many big bites." Jeremy explained to the kid. "Doc said you were cleared for food, but you still have to be careful." The child took a mouse sized bite of his sandwich and chewed it slowly. Then he accidentally dropped the sandwich. He picked it back up, only to drop it again. He started to look a little frustrated. 

"Hey, kid. It's alright. Ya don't have to wolf it all down tonight." Mundy reassured him. The child looked confused for a moment. He looked at Jeremy, then back at Mundy. 

"You don't have to eat it all right now. We can save it for later." Jeremy translated. "Sorry, I don't think he understood what 'wolf it down' meant." Mundy nodded in acknowledgement before going back to eating. The three of them sat and ate for a little while. Then Jeremy put away his and the kid's extras in the brown bag. The kid laid back down, closing his eyes to sleep. 

"Hey, Love? Do ya wanna come lay down next to me? You look exhausted." Mundy whispered. He was right. Jeremy was very tired after the past few days. He nodded sleepily and laid down in-between the kid and Mundy. He cuddled up next to him, finally feeling like he could rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously though, the next few chapters aren't going to be the most fun.


	5. Rec Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Medic stops by to change the child's IV. Even though Sniper's there with Scout.   
> Also, Scout goes to the rec room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is actually the big one where shit goes downhill.

Medic stepped outside into the hall. It was just past 06:00. He expected Scout to be running to his office asking for another IV bag by now. But he didn't come in. 

Around 06:30, Medic figured that he should go in and change the IV bag anyways. Assuming Scout was asleep or busy. He knocked on Scout's door. No response. Knowing that this wasn't the best idea, Medic opened the door. He nonchalantly walked to the IV stand and proceeded to change the bag. He completely ignored the fact that Sniper was sleeping on the bed with his arms around Scout. But when he did eventually see the two, he let out a laugh. Which woke up Sniper, who was not a morning person nor was he a heavy sleeper. 

Sniper could only see a tall figure that obviously wasn't Scout. So his self-defense instincts kicked in. He grabbed the nearest stick-like object, which happened to be Scout's baseball bat, and aimed it at the figure as if it was his kurki. Medic made an easily identifiable squeak out of shock. 

"Oh.. sorry." Sniper set the bat down. Scout started to shift a little underneath Sniper. He didn't even realize he was leaning over him. Mundy moved to let Jeremy sit up. 

"Mmmhh.. what's goin' on?" Jeremy said as he stretched. "Why's Medic here..?" Then he realized where he was and who was next to him. He blushed a deep red and turned to Medic. 

"I apologise for  _ intruding _ on your.. uhh… time." Medic chuckled nervously as the two men eyed him down threateningly. "I was changing zhe child's IV."

"I swear to God, if you tell anyone about us being together, I will  _ end  _ you." Jeremy growled. 

"Vell, I'm already keeping zhe child a secret. I'm sure you could trust me to keep your relationship a secret as well." Medic panicked a little when Mundy gave him a death stare. "I-It's not like you two are the only ones keeping a relationship secret either. I'm sure you have seen Mikhail and I."

"I had my suspicions but I dinna expect them to be right." Mundy said, lowering his threatening demeanor. "Nice to know we're not alone."

"Cool." Jeremy smiled. "But, if you tell  _ anyone _ about us, I will-" 

"I think he gets the picture, love." Mundy chuckled. Ludwig left the room, letting the two be. Boy, that was nerve-racking to experience. 

Around 08:00, Sniper left Scout's room and stayed in his van for a while. Scout spent most of his day with the child. He showed the kid comic books, told the kid some stories, and tried to get the kid to take a nap but ended up letting him roam around his room instead. 

Once lunchtime arrived, Scout had started to feel bored being there alone. He wanted to go out and get some exercise, but he knew that the moment he left, the kid would start crying. He started to feel antsy. Eventually, he gave into his hyperactive behavior and got ready to go outside.

"Hey, kid? I really need to leave for a little while. I promise I'll be back." Jeremy tells the child, setting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're scared of me leavin'. But I can't stay here with you all the time. I need to be able to go out to work, get exercise, and go see my boyfriend. The guy who was here this mornin'? The one who held your hand last time I left?" The child looked at him with tears starting to form in his eyes. But he doesn't start to cry. He nods in acknowledgement. 

"Do you think you'll be ok if I leave for just a little bit?" Jeremy asked. "I promise I'll be back really soon." The child nodded. 

"Oh good." Scout sighed in relief. He made a mental note to congratulate the kid on his bravery later. He stepped out into the hall and began to walk away. It felt weird leaving the child alone. But he knew that they both could do this. He knew that the kid was strong and brave enough to be alone for a few hours. He snapped out his thoughts when he was called by a teammate.

"Hey, Scout! We're planning on playing pool in the rec room. Wanna join?" Engie called out as he left his room. Scout nods in agreement, walking towards the rec room. He walked with much less energy than usual. The child had taken so much of it. 

Once they were in the rec room, Scout sat down in one of the chairs. He regretted coming into the room. Everyone was loud and obnoxious. It made his head ache. God, he really was acting like a mom now, wasn't he? His posture and behavior was definitely like a tired mother's. 

"Aren't you gonna join?" Engie asked, setting the pool table up for a game. 

"No.. I'm good." Scout sighed. Demo and Engie exchanged confused glances. Scout was never this worn out. He always joined their games of pool. He was quite the competitive player, after all. 

"Ye alright there, lad?" Demo asked, a bit of confusion in his voice. Scout nodded. He figured it would be best to just leave the poor guy alone and continue the game. 

But then Spy came in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter has the big yikes moment coming and no it's not entirely involving spy


	6. Screw Spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spy is being a piece of shit to Scout. Scout then comes back to something special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Spy shaming Scout for bullshit
> 
> Since I love your comments so much I decided to upload another chapter a little earlier.
> 
> This still isn't the "bad" moment i was referring to. The next chapter is the real tearjerker.

"It appears those ridiculously unhealthy eating habits of yours finally caught up to you." Spy sneered as he looked at the miserable runner. 

"Oh shut up, frenchie." Scout grumbled. "Nobody needs your comments right now."

"But I am right, am I not? I told you that your unhealthy habits would affect you one day, but you denied it." Spy grinned as he continued, clearly unaware of the frustration building up in the boy in front of him. "And yet here you are, nearly passing out and fading away because you cannot eat proper nutrition." Scout's eyes snapped open and he stood up. He gripped the frenchman by the shirt and yelled right to his face.

"Listen here, you freakin' piece of shit. I know I'm bad at eatin' good food or whatever. But that's not what's goin' on. You don't know what's goin' on in my life right now. You don't get to fuckin' tell me this shit." Scout yelled, spit being tossed at the other's face much to his dismay. "You don't know why I'm tired and you don't get to tell me that it's the Bonk! or the garbage I eat. Now fuck off!" Scout shoved Spy away from him and stormed out of the room. Demo and Engie simply gawked at the sight they just witnessed. Spy resumed his petty demeanor and continued to grin like he won the argument.

"Quite the dramatic one, isn't he?" Spy snickered. Engie gave him a glare, causing him to clear his throat and apologise quietly. 

Scout stormed down the hall, feeling his anger bubble up inside. He was ready to blow up at any other merc who bothered him. But that seemingly unstoppable anger dissolved when he opened his bedroom door. The child was sitting on the floor with his sketchbook and a pile of crayons. He had drawn something on the paper and was very excited to show Scout. 

The child raised the sketchbook up as much as he could, showing Scout the drawing. Scout kneeled down to grab it. He lifted it up and looked at it. The child had drawn three stick figures that appeared to be holding hands. One was drawn using red crayons and had a line that went through it's head. Another was drawn similar but had little filled in orange circles on it's head and a trapezoid on top. There was one in the middle that was shorter and seemed to have long hair. They all had words written below them: Jermy, James, and Mondy. 

"Is this me?" Scout asked, pointing at the figure labeled 'Jermy'. The child giggled and nodded. He flapped his hands up and down excitedly. He was careful not to pull out the IV though. 

"Is this Mundy? The one who held your head while I was gone yesterday?" Scout pointed at the one labeled 'Mondy'. The child continued to giggle and nod. 

"That's you?" Scout pointed at the little stick figure in between the other two. "You're James?" The child smiled brightly and nodded again. Jeremy returned the smile. He was so happy to see the kid smile and laugh. He was so happy to know the kid's name. He was so.. happy. 

"I love your drawing, James." Jeremy smiled, giving the kid a hug. James didn't know how to respond to the hug, but he felt comfortable there. So he stayed in Jeremy's arms. 

"Hey, James? Can I go get Mundy? I think he might like to see your drawing too." Jeremy asked as he let go of the kid. James thought about it for a moment. He eventually nodded. 

"Ok. I'll be right back." Scout stood up and left the room. James immediately went back to drawing on the sketchbook. He had another message to share. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are gonna be so pissed off at me next chapter


	7. Leave Me Out Of It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scout goes to tell Sniper about James' drawing, but it goes horribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Lots of yelling and arguing and broken hearts
> 
> Sniper is basically me because I don't want kids ever  
> Also yes this is the chapter i kept warning y'all about

Scout dashed down the hall towards the backdoor exit. He was still overwhelmed with joy and.. love? He supposed he could call it love. He loved this kid after all. He loved him like he was his own son. His train of thought was interrupted by the last person he wanted to see in his joyful state. 

"Que faites-vous, Scout?!" Spy exclaimed as the runner crashed into him. "Watch where you are going!" Scout simply stood back up and shrugged it off.

"Sorry! I'm tryin' to go get Snipes for somethin'." Scout yelled as he continued running. He completely ignored the fact that he told Spy, the person who hates Sniper the most, that he was going to his camper. He was too excited to think about that right now. 

Scout arrived at his boyfriend's camper, quickly knocking on the door. He was definitely out of breath and very energetic. But this was important to him and James. Probably Mundy as well. 

"Hey, Roo. Did ya need somethin'?" Mundy said as he opened the door. 

"James just drew somethin' and he wanted to show you it!" Jeremy replied excitedly. He grabbed Mundy's hand and tried to start running back. But he was stopped when Mundy held his ground.

"Wha.. What?" Mundy raised an eyebrow. He felt extremely confused. Almost frustrated. All of these new things were happening with his boyfriend and he didn't understand any part of it. He was out of the loop and he didn't like it.

"James is the kid I found a couple days ago." Jeremy explained. "He finally told me his name through a drawing. He also laughed for the first time and he seems so happy and he really wants to see you and-" Jeremy stopped when he saw Mundy's face. He could barely see through those thick sunglasses of his. But he could tell what the man was feeling. He looked uncomfortable.

"Hey, babe? What's wrong?" Jeremy asked. "I thought you wanted to hear how the kid was doin'." 

"Roo, I-" Mundy started but was quickly interrupted by Jeremy.

"I thought you wanted to help me take care of him. I didn't realize you were uncomfortable with him. I thought you liked that I was takin' care of the kid. That you thought I was amazing." 

"I-"

"I thought that you liked the kid being around. I thought-"

"Jeremy." Mundy raised his voice as he spoke. His tone was bold and it made Scout shut his mouth. He let go of his boyfriend's hand, watching as the other tried to figure out how to word these next sentences.

"I don't like  _ this _ . I don't like the concept of bein' some kid's 'parent'. It just.. it makes me uncomfortable." Sniper continued.

"But why?" Scout asked. 

"Because I'd be a terrible parent!" Sniper barked back, quickly quieting down as he continued talking. "Because.. if I'm anythin' like my dad, I'd be doin' the kid a favor by leavin'. That's how shitty of a parent I would be. I don't trust myself to take care of a kid." Scout stared at him in disbelief. He was stunned; he had never seen Sniper yell at him like that before. Sniper tilted his head down to hide his face behind the brim of his hat. He turned around and stepped back into the camper. 

"If ya plan on takin' care of him for much longer, leave me out of it." Sniper said before slamming the door shut. Scout's heart dropped. He felt tears begin to form in his eyes. He ran back to the base as he sobbed. He ran past his colleagues, completely ignoring their questions and concerns. Even when Medic called his name asking about the 'project'. 

Scout slammed his door shut. He leaned against it and dropped to the floor. He hugged his knees and cried loudly. He didn't notice that James was sitting there with a new picture drawn, trying to hand him the sketchbook. 

Everything else didn't matter to him. Not Medic walking towards his door, nor did James matter to him right now. Not the new drawing, not the empty IV bag, not the knock on his door, nothing. 

The only thing that mattered to Scout was what he lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told y'all that you guys would hate me after this


	8. Speaking Through Drawings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James tries to understand what's going on by asking questions through drawings. Medic also tries to communicate with James.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy last day of Trump's administration! 
> 
> TW: crying lots of crying
> 
> I can assure you the story gets better after the next few chapters because I actually have a system for fanfics. I write the first five chapters. Then I write the sixth chapter and upload the first one. I keep going like this until the end. So right now there's actually four chapters already written that are after this one. That's how I'm able to give you such specific warnings.
> 
> This is told from James' perspective kinda

James watched as his favorite person sobbed in front of the door. He felt like crying too. He didn't know what was going on. Jeremy went to go get Mundy and now he came back without him. Where was Mundy? He wanted to see Mundy. He liked Mundy. Holding Mundy's hand was fun and comforting. 

Maybe he could ask Jeremy where Mundy was. James started to draw on the sketchbook again. He picked up a red crayon and started drawing Mundy. It took a lot of effort trying to apply enough pressure to the crayon to make a mark on the paper. 

Once James was finished drawing, Jeremy's sobbing had dulled down to slight sniffling. James picked up the sketchbook, arms trembling under the weight. He showed it to Jeremy, who briefly looked up to view it. It was a drawing of a red stick figure with a trapezoid on it's head and two red circles on it's face; or as James would label it, "Mondy". James smiled, hoping that the silence he heard was a good sign.

Jeremy's bottom lip trembled a little as tears formed in his eyes once again. His head dropped and he let out a loud sob. James dropped the sketchbook immediately. He realized he made things worse and started to cry a little. Though, his crying was kept to small sniffles. He quickly took to the crayons again, drawing another picture to ask another question.

James drew a stick figure with a line going through it's head right next to the drawing of Mundy. He made sure to connect the 'hands' together to get his point across. He lifted the sketchbook again, showing Jeremy. Who took one look at it and started his crying fit all over again. His sobbing seemed particularly worse this time. 

After what felt like hours, Jeremy calmed down enough to move around. He stood up, walked to his bed, and dropped. He laid on his side, facing the wall. His body was curled up at first but over time he loosened up. James sat on the floor for a while. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to go outside and find the guy with a funny voice. The guy who made him wear this thing in his hand. But he couldn't really open the door without help. James tried to reach the doorknob anyways. His tiny hands tried to grip the knob, but he was too short. 

So James tried the next best thing he could do. He used all of his effort to climb onto the bed and snuggle up next to Jeremy. He wanted to go onto the other side of him so he could cuddle like Mundy and Jeremy were last night. Being hugged while you're asleep sounds nice. But he didn't want to bother Jeremy too much. So he settled for sleeping with his back against Jeremy's back.

The next morning wasn't fun. The man with the funny voice came knocking at Jeremy's door. He asked for "Scout" a couple times before he eventually just entered the room. James was immediately awake after the second knock. So he sat up when the man walked in. As the guy walked in, James watched as he nonchalantly changed the IV bag. 

"Oh! You're awake. Is Scout awake?" The doctor asked. James looked at him in confusion before making an attempt to grab the sketchbook of the ground. The doctor didn't want him to move around too much when the IV was filled again. So he grabbed the sketchbook for James. But before he handed it to James, he looked at the picture of the two stick figures holding hands. Then looked at the other picture with the three stick figures. He adjusted his glasses, squinting his eyes as he looked at the words written under each figure. 

"Did you draw these?" The doctor asked. James responded with a nod. 

"Is your name James?" The doctor pointed at the figure with long hair labeled 'James'. James nodded again, this time a little more enthusiastically. The doctor looked at the drawings again and smiled. He seemed very interested in them. 

"Fascinating." The doctor said. "So you can't talk but you can tell people things through these drawings of yours? That's very interesting." James just looked around and kicked his feet for a moment. He wasn't sure what to say.

"My name is Ludwig. I'm the Medic for this team. The Sniper and Scout or, as you may know them, Mundy and Jeremy are part of this team. This building is their..  _ workplace _ ." Ludwig explained, setting the sketchbook next to James. "So, I'm assuming this drawing of a red figure with a line in zhe head is Jeremy?" James nodded and pointed at Jeremy, who was still asleep on the bed. He was still facing away from everyone else though. 

"Vell, he needs to wake up soon. Our team has work today." Ludwig paused for a moment before continuing. "If you don't mind, could I ask you a few questions? Then you answer them through zhe sketchbook?" James nodded and grabbed the red crayon that was on the sketchbook. 

"Good. First, vhat happened to Jeremy? Why was he crying?" Ludwig was surprised to see the kid not actually draw anything new. He was shown the same picture of the two red stick figures holding hands. It took him a moment but he did eventually realize it.

"Mundy must have done something.." Ludwig mumbled to himself. He pondered it for a moment, then it hit him. They might have been fighting. It was a rule that teammates must not be fighting each other, as it would risk the entire team's ability to keep important information safe and be able to successfully fight in battle. He had to talk to Mundy before they went to battle. 

"I apologise for cutting this short but I must talk to Mundy." Ludwig quickly dashed out the door, leaving James confused and concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love your comments they fuel my writing energy btw


	9. Unsettled Situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Medic tries to talk to Sniper. But it doesn't work. Scout tries to participate in battle, but things don't go well. Spy decides to make fun of Scout for this. Also, James realizes something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to slow down with these updates. But I just love telling stories and hearing your responses! Every comment is so much fun to read. I can't help but smile when my inbox is filled. Also, I like to see you guys try and come up with what's going to happen next. It makes me laugh.
> 
> TW: Vague suicide reference, angst, etc.

Medic tried to keep his composure relatively calm as headed down the hall. He walked the way he normally did, arms behind his back and posture straight. But as soon as he reached those back doors that Sniper always used, he bolted. He ran as fast as his 45 year old body could go. He knocked on the metal door of the campervan. 

"Herr Sniper? I need to talk to you  _ immediately _ ." Medic shouted. He could hear shuffling around followed by an aggravated groan. The door opened to reveal Sniper in terrible physical shape. The bags under his eyes were more apparent than usual. He was slouching, although that seemed to be a common thing with him. He obviously had not slept last night. 

"What the bloody hell do ya want?" Sniper growled. Medic stepped back a little out of genuine fear. He cleared his throat and continued.

"Scout was sobbing last night. For at least an hour and a half, if I recall correctly. I went to go change the-" Medic was interrupted by Sniper, who clearly wasn't having any of it.

"If this is about James, leave me out of it." Sniper tried to close the door but Medic continued talking.

"It isn't. Vell, not entirely. This is about Scout." Medic explained. "Scout was devastated by whatever you said or did. I'm not sure if he will be able to participate in battle today given his mental state. I need you to at least make an attempt to fix things." Sniper slammed the door shut. Medic removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a sigh and started to walk away.

"I will be discussing this with you later. We can not have teammates fighting each other in this war!" Medic yelled back as he walked away. "Nor can we have a heartbroken 24 year old with a gun be left unsupervised and alone!" 

Scout woke up to James sitting on the bed next to him, scribbling things on the sketchbook. He sat up and looked at the kid for a moment before getting ready for work. He changed into a new RED uniform shirt, put on new socks, and started tying his shoelaces. He picked up his baseball bat. He grabbed his headset from the bedside table next to him. He looked back at James, who was sitting on the bed watching him move about. 

"I've gotta leave for work now. I won't be back until, like, 4pm. So.." Scout picked up the box of crayon off the floor and handed them to James. "Stay here, keep quiet, and I'll be back." He placed a hand around the doorknob, but before he turned it, he thought about something. He sounded so lifeless and deadpan when he was telling the kid what he was doing. He couldn't do that! That would be terrible to do to him. Just tell James in an emotionless tone that he wasn't coming back until 4pm?

"Keep drawin' those pictures for me, ok? I really love those." Scout gave a small smile to James as he opened the door. He left the room, taking a deep breath in and letting out. He started to walk to the mess hall for breakfast, but realized it was way too late for breakfast. 

The doors opened and everyone started running out. Soldier rocket jumped his way to the BLU sentry, only to get blown up mid-air by it. Medic followed Heavy into the main battlefield. Engineer set up a dispenser and a teleporter behind some rocks. Demoman ran with his sword towards the sentry Soldier went for. Scout started running towards the control point, but was immediately distracted by Sniper running up the hill. He got whacked in the head by the BLU Scout, causing him to go to respawn. He kept trying to move forward, only to find himself getting killed again and again and again. All because he was too distracted by Sniper. Spy took notice of this quite quickly.

As the team headed back into the base to forget today's failures, Scout found himself drowning his depressive state in Bonk! while in the Rec Room. The others were watching television and a few were playing cards. Scout simply sat in a chair in the corner of the room, sipping soda. He hoped that James wouldn't mind him staying in the rec room just a little bit longer. But then he overheard a conversation happening at the card table.

"..was constantly rocket jumping into the enemies! I'd blame him." Engie laughed. "What do you think, Spook?" Spy blew out some smoke and started speaking.

"Personally, I believe it was Scout who caused the most problems. He was too distracted by the Sniper to be battling. He continuously ran towards one sentry only to get blown up several times." Spy smirked as he spoke, well aware of the fact that Scout could hear him. "I suppose he just couldn't take his eyes off that bushman." He let out a snort. The others at the table laughed along. Scout crushed his can of soda out of frustration. He threw the can across the room, nearly hitting Pyro in the process. 

"What? Were you not aware that I could see you?" Spy sneered. "Or were you too busy thinking about whatever you and Sniper did last night?" Scout froze. He looked at Spy dead in the eye. His aggravated expression faded into a saddened one. He looked away for a moment, meeting Medic's worried gaze. Scout ran out of the room, holding back tears. The laughter at the card table had halted aside from Spy's occasionally snickering. The whole room had gone quiet for a moment. But it quickly resumed when Scout left. Although, Engineer stopped laughing once he saw the boy's reaction. He glared at Spy and gave him the same look he did before. It wasn't easily readable. But Spy still got the message. Well,  _ partially _ got the message.

"What?" Spy asked.

"Y'all can agree with me when I say that Scout's response ain't exactly a good one, right?" Engineer glanced at Demoman and Spy. Demo nodded in agreement and looked at Spy. Who just raised an eyebrow.

"Spy, the kid's obviously not doin' well right now. Could ya lay off of him for a bit?" Engineer made hand gestures to further emphasize his point. Spy let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Fine." 

Scout came running into his room. He slowed down when he saw James laying on his side on the bed. He was curled up and shivering. Jeremy looked up to check where the IV was at and-

"Oh my god! James! I'm so sorry. I really should've just come right back.." Jeremy said, panicking a little. "Now the IV's empty and you're shivering and sad and I just... Ah, crap.." He sat down next to James on the bed. He wasn't sure what to do. So he just laid down on his side, facing the kid. James reached out and tugged on his shirt lightly. Jeremy wrapped his arms around the kid, pulling him into a tight embrace. 

For James, this was nice. The past few hours he felt cold and lonely. He was hungry and didn't know how to get help. He couldn't open the door or call for help. So he simply laid down and curled up on the bed. But now, he was being held by Jeremy. He was being cuddled like Mundy was cuddling Jeremy a few nights ago. His grip on the other's t-shirt tightened. He felt safe. He felt warm. He felt loved. This was what it was like to feel loved, huh? James had heard about what it feels like to be loved by a parent from the kids in the town. He never understood it. He didn't have parents. He had the people who ran the orphanage, sure. But those weren't parents. They didn't read to you every night before bed like the other kids' parents did. They didn't tuck you in every night. They didn't comfort you when you got scared. They fed you. They gave you a bed. But nothing else. Then it hit him. 

Jeremy and Mundy must be his parents because they do those things. Albeit, in their own way. Jeremy read him comic books before bed. Jeremy kind of tucked him into bed. Jeremy and Mundy comforted him when he got scared or sad. James made a mental note to tell Jeremy and Mundy that they were his parents now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sniper and Spy are pieces of shit, I know. But they'll get what's coming to them.
> 
> Like I said before, I love hearing your responses. So feel free to comment!


	10. Can't Hold Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spy makes fun of Scout for the last time. Then, Scout loses it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Blood, Violence, Brutal Beating
> 
> This is it! This is the chapter you all have been waiting for! The confrontation!
> 
> Yay spy gets his ass beat

Scout ran back out into the battlefield. His mind was racing; James needed new clothes, Sniper hadn't talked to him in two days, Medic still needed to check the health of James, and he needed to buy another sketchbook. He was very scatterbrained at the moment. It didn't affect his score too terribly, but it was certainly annoying. But what was even more annoying was the comments from Spy. He would spend every evening making jokes at his expense. Scout tried to ignore most of it, keeping his frustration to a minimum. But all of that anger continued to build up everyday. 

And all of that was about to leave his system. Violently.

All of the mercenaries came to the rec room on Fridays. It was kind of a tradition at this point. The whole team was there. Engineer, Demoman, Soldier, and Spy were all playing pool. Pyro was watching television. Medic and Heavy were simply sitting and chatting. Sniper was in the corner, not participating in any of the activities. Scout walked into the room. All attention was briefly brought to him. But everyone went back to what they were doing quickly. He sat in a chair as far away from everyone as he could. 

"Hey, Scout!" Engineer called, sounding generally cheerful. "You seem real lonely there, son. Wanna join us?" Scout glanced over, expression unreadable. He nodded and hesitantly walked to the table. He didn't say anything other than a slight "Mhm".

"You two must have been quite busy last night." Spy sneered at Scout. 

"What? What the hell are you talkin' about?" Scout said, sounding more defensive than confused. Despite the fact that he was certainly more confused than anything else.

"I witnessed you sneak out to Sniper's campervan on Sunday evening, Scout." Spy continued to grin as he spoke. "After you told me that the unhealthy foods you eat are not causing your obvious lack of energy, you said that I have 'no idea about what's going on in your life'. So, once I saw you run to Sniper's van late on a Sunday evening, I can only assume that you two must be doing  _ something _ that would leave you with a lack of energy." The frenchman began to laugh as Scout's face turned red. But not with embarrassment. It was anger.

"YOU FUCKIN' PIECE OF SHIT!" Scout screamed at the top of his lungs as he tackled the older man to the floor. He pressed his knee into Spy's stomach as he continuously punched his face. He screamed incoherent slurs and names. As Spy was raising his arms to push the boy off of him, Scout wrapped his hands around his neck. He choked the frenchman as hard as he could, continuing to scream. Everyone in the room immediately shifted their attention to the two fighting.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOIN' THROUGH, SPY! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DEALIN' WITH! I'VE GOT SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE OF! AND UNLIKE YOU, I ACTUALLY GIVE A SHIT ABOUT HIS LIFE AND CHILDHOOD!" Scout scolded him, spit being tossed at Spy's face as he screamed. "YOU ARE A FUCKING MONSTER! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Everyone had jumped from their seats at this point. Sniper went behind Scout and hooked his arms under his shoulders. He dragged the runner away from Spy as he kicked and screamed. 

"NO!! LET ME GO!! LET ME AT HIM!" Scout cried as his boyfriend pulled him away. "LET ME GO!" Scout tried to wiggle his way out of the Sniper's arms, but he kept him restrained. Medic and Engie rushed to Spy's side. Medic looked over the wounds around his neck and body. 

"He will have to go through respawn." Medic told the other. Engie nodded and stood back up. He looked back at Scout, giving him a cruel glare as he walked back to his seat. Everyone watched as Spy's body faded away as respawn took him. Then watched as Scout's yelling dissolved into sobbing. Sniper still had his arms around him to keep him from causing further harm. 

"Congrats, ya killed him. He went through respawn." Sniper grumbled. He was clearly frustrated with Scout. He didn't like having to do this. Especially now, when their relationship was hanging by a thread as it is. He didn't want to lose Scout. But he also didn't want to let Scout loose.

"Wait.. respawn?" Scout asked, his crying halted. " _ James.. _ " He tried to move again. This time he did make it out of the other's grip. Scout bolted out of the room. Sniper and Medic ran after him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Speep


	11. Bonjour, Petit.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting out of respawn, Spy hears something in Scout's room and decides to investigate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words cannot describe how happy I am to release this chapter
> 
> Also, I put a lot of my memories of my grandpap (Yes, I called him that.) into Spy in this story. So.. you'll see a lot of that.

Spy walked out of the respawn doors, hand brushing against where Scout had put his hands on him. He figured he shouldn't go back to the rec room. So he walked down the hall to his private quarters. But something caught his attention as he walked. He could hear soft crying coming from Scout's room. It didn't sound like Scout. It sounded higher pitched and younger. It sounded like a child's crying. 

"What the hell?" Spy said under his breath. He knew it would be bad to bother Scout further, but this seemed different. This seemed important. He timed his steps forward with the louder parts of each sob, hoping to cover them up. He meticulously turned the doorknob, creating the least amount of noise. He gently pushed the door open to reveal..

A child laying on Scout's bed with an IV attached to their hand. They were very small and thin. There was some colour to the child's face, or at least there was from what Spy could see. The child was laying on their side curled up. Their clothes seemed tattered and dirty. Their hair was messy. Spy had thousands of questions. What was a child doing in Scout's room? Is this what Scout meant by "I'm taking care of someone"? Where did this child come from? How long have they been here?

Spy stepped forward, accidentally crumpling a partially removed piece of paper in a sketchbook on the floor. He picked up the sketchbook. There were three drawings he could see. One drawing of three stick figures that vaguely resemble Scout, Sniper, and the child. Another was just the two stick figures that looked like Scout and Sniper. Then there was one last drawing of the three figures but instead of the two red ones being labeled as "Jermy" and "Mondy", they were labeled "Dad" and "Pap". Spy pondered what could be going on here. But his thoughts were interrupted by the child's crying pausing before worsening. He dropped the sketchbook and immediately tried to comfort the kid. 

"Non! Ne pleure pas!" Spy said as he set his hands on the child's shoulders. "Ça va aller.." Spy looked back at the drawings, trying to see if the kid had written their name somewhere. 

"..James." Spy faked a smile. But James only cried more and waved his arms around. Then he realized what might be setting him off. Spy sighed and took off his mask. He figured it would be ok if this kid saw him. He wouldn't tell anyone or, in this kid's unfortunate case, couldn't tell anyone. James' crying subsided and he looked up at Spy. 

"Bonjour, petit." Spy smiled, for real this time. James giggled in response. Which made Spy chuckle softly. 

"I'm sure I sound very different from your Dad and Pap." Spy snickered. James nodded and continued to giggle. The two of them sat there giggling for a moment. He didn't want to admit it but he kind of missed being a dad. Although, this felt different. He felt like a grandpa. That might be because of the fact that James considered Scout to be his "Dad". But then he would have to acknowledge the fact that he abandoned Scout as a young child. He really didn't want to have to- 

"SPY!" Scout yelled, interrupting the frenchman's thoughts. "GET OUt of.. my…" Scout looked at the sight before him. There was Spy, maskless and comforting James. James seemed happy around him too. Regardless of how James was feeling, Scout's instincts kicked in and he picked up James once Spy stepped back. Then he sat down criss-cross on the bed with James in his lap. 

"Why were you in my room?" Scout demanded. 

"Why do you have a child in your room?" Spy crossed his arms. "And why does he call you and Sniper 'Dad' and 'Pap'?" 

"He does?" Scout was genuinely surprised at that. He had no idea that James considered him to be his dad. He looked at the child for a moment, almost as if he was asking for clarification. Spy picked up the sketchbook and showed him the drawing of the three stick figures with the two red ones labeled 'Dad' and 'Pap'. Scout held the sketchbook for a moment, looking at the drawing. It was right there, written in red crayon: Dad & Pap. 

"I'm your dad?" Scout asked, smiling quickly growing. James giggled and nodded. He waved his arms around happily. 

"Scout!" Sniper shouted as he came running towards the door. As soon as Scout heard his voice, he started to get defensive. He held James closer and glared at Sniper. His eyebrows furrowed and an aggressive frown forming on his lips. But it seemed that James had a different opinion on this. 

James wiggled his way out of Scout's grip and jumped onto the floor. He wobbled his way towards Sniper, pulling the IV stand along with him. He smiled and giggled as he hugged the man's legs. Sniper looked very uncomfortable and confused. 

"So you and Sniper have been raising this child without anyone knowing? Where did they come from?" Spy had a lot of questions still left unanswered. Scout sighed, getting ready to tell the whole story. 

"Last Friday, I went outside at, like, 16:00 to do some laps or somethin'. While I was runnin' I found this little guy leaning up against Engie's garage door. He was dyin' so I helped him. I brought him to Medic and he got some medicine. That's why he's on the IV. James started to really cling to me and so I've been kinda like his dad this whole time. Sniper was going to help but then he gave up one day." Scout glared at Sniper, who looked genuinely sorry. "So I've been taking care of the kid with the help of Medic. James can't speak so he uses drawings to talk, by the way. We learned that a couple days ago." Spy stood and processed everything. This was a lot, no, more than a lot. This was life changing information. His son, who he abandoned, was now taking care of a previously abandoned child. Medic, Sniper, and Scout all kept this child a secret from the team for a whole week now. Spy didn't know what to feel. He was saddened by the poetic justice going on. He was happy to be a grandfather figure. He was disgusted by Sniper being with Scout. He was appalled by Sniper's unknown but obviously negative decisions involving James. 

"Jeremy? Mundy? Can I talk to you two separately?" Spy eventually spoke after giving the situation long thought. The two nodded and Mundy closed the door. Once they were in private, Spy began to speak again.

"Jeremy, you are doing something incredibly illegal and against every rule the administration has for us." Spy said. "But I am proud of you. You found a child and decided to take care of them despite all of your current circumstances. I'm not sure if you did this out of spite or the kindness of your heart, but I am sure that I will support you and James." Jeremy looked up at Spy. He almost wanted to cry. That's all he ever wanted to hear from his dad. That he was proud of him for something. 

"Ye.. Yeah. I guess I did this because it felt right or somethin' like that. Even though.." Jeremy sniffled a little before continuing. "Even though I upset Mundy by takin' care of James. He doesn't want kids. Now he's just avoiding me and.." Jeremy started to cry a little. Which made James, who was sitting on the floor near the door, cry as well. 

"I knew that bushman wasn't good." Spy whispered to himself. "If there's anything I can do to help you and James, please let me know. I am willing to help in any way that I can." Jeremy nodded in acknowledgement. He was still crying, though. 

"And James," Spy smiled and kneeled down to be at James' level. "You can call me your grandfather." James giggled a little. 

"Also, Jeremy," Spy turned to look at him as he placed a hand around the doorknob. "Your mother would be very proud as well." That made Jeremy smile. He headed out the door and put his mask back on. Then he saw the other person he needed to talk to. 

"Mundy." Spy called in a firm voice. Mundy turned around and looked at the other. He seemed disappointed or upset. He knew that Spy hated him more than anyone else, but this seemed different. 

"You broke Jeremy's and James' hearts. I already feel much disdain for you. But now you have worsened your reputation with me. I highly recommend you at least spend time with Jeremy. He has been depressed without you. If I find out you hurt him further.." Spy pulled out the butterfly knife, flipping it open and aiming it at Sniper's throat. "I will murder you again and again and again, sending you through respawn daily. Each death more creative than the last." 

"Aight." Mundy said, swallowing down his anxieties. "I'll go talk to him now, m'kay?" Spy simply went invisible and supposedly left. Mundy knocked on the door. 

"Come in." Jeremy answered. Mundy hesitantly opened the door. He saw Jeremy reading a comic book while James sat next to him on the bed, drawing in the sketchbook with crayons. The child looked up and smiled. 

"Oh. It's you." Jeremy said as he set the comic book aside. "What do you want?" 

"I was uhh.." Mundy cleared his throat. "I wanna ask if ya wanna.. go spend an evenin' with me in the camper? Just the two of us?" Jeremy thought about it for a moment. He definitely wanted to try to spend time with the other, hoping that they could fix things. 

"Ok. When?" Jeremy asked. 

"How about tomorrow?" 

"Ok."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss seeing my grandpap. 
> 
> Next chapter is probably the sweetest thing I've ever written. So, be ready for that.


	12. Record Player

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James spends the evening with Grandpap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My grandpap and I love watching old movies from the 1920s to 40s. I miss watching Turner Classic Movies with you, Grandpap!
> 
> also James loves swing music because that shit is the best

There was a knock at the door. Spy set his book off to the side. It was Saturday evening. The majority of the day was pretty relaxed for the RED base. Nobody had anything to do, aside from a few things. So when he heard Scout ask for Spy's help with James, it was a bit odd.

"Why do you need my help? Is Medic not available?" Spy put out a cigarette in a nearby ashtray. 

"Well, James doesn't feel safe around Medic alone.." Scout explained. "He does feel safe around you. But, like, only when you don't have your mask on. He also sees you as ' _ Grandpap _ ' now.. for some reason." 

"Fine. I suppose I could look after him for a few hours." Spy sighed as Scout ran down the hall. Really, he did find the idea to be nice. He just didn’t want to show it. Scout returned with James. James was carrying his sketchbook and a little box of crayons. He stepped towards the door, but seemed hesitant to go inside. 

“It’s ok, buddy. It’s just Grandpap.” Jeremy reassured. “He’s going to take care of you tonight while Pap and I are out.” James still refused to go inside. Spy was confused at first but then he remembered the whole mask episode. He moved away from the door and headed towards his desk. He picked up a small bottle cap-like object, carrying it to the little security camera stationed in his room. It faced his desk and not the door, thankfully. Spy placed the cap over the camera and then took off his mask. 

“Apologies, I couldn’t remove it when the camera was rolling.” Spy explained. 

“That camera didn’t see James, did it?” Jeremy panicked for a second, holding the child closer. “I know that the cameras in the halls aren’t running when he goes out to Medic’s room for check ups. Or when we left the room to come here.” 

“No, I don’t believe so. I can assure you we would have heard about it by now if it did.” Spy said. “Well, you have somewhere to be, right? You better not be late.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jeremy let go of the kid. “I’ll see you later, little buddy!” James nodded and walked towards Spy. He smiled up at the frenchman and giggled. He hugged Spy’s legs as Jeremy left. Spy wasn’t sure how to respond at first. But he did find the hug very sweet. Once the door closed, he let his softer side show.

“Bonjour, petit!” Spy chuckled, kneeling down to be at James’ level. “I see your IV is gone. Did Ludwig say you could stay off of the medicine now?” James nodded, pride displayed on his face. He was very proud of himself for being able to handle that IV for a week.

“Well, that is good news.” Spy smiled. “So, since you will be with me this evening. Is there anything you would like to do?” James thought about it for a moment. Then he held up his sketchbook. 

“You would like to draw? Ok. You can do that.” Spy stood back up and headed towards his desk. “I will be right here if you need anything.” James nodded and sat down on the floor nearby. He started drawing with a red crayon, then a grey one, and a black one. Spy didn’t pay too much attention to it; he had a particularly good book to read. Occasionally, he would glance over the child’s shoulder to see what they had drawn. But nothing seemed to be easily identifiable yet. At some point, James held up the sketchbook to show Spy. Spy set his book down and picked it up. He looked over it for a moment. It was a drawing of a red stick figure sitting on a couple of rectangles holding a blue square. The figure’s head was decorated in black and white scribbles. 

“Is this me?” Spy asked and James nodded. “It is a lovely drawing, James.” James giggled and waved his arms around. The frenchman started to notice that the kid waved his arms around a lot. But it was only when he seemed happy or excited. It was certainly a weird thing to do in response to something positive. But it started to make sense. James couldn’t verbally communicate much. But he was indeed intelligent and was able to communicate through other means very well. He was fairly sensitive to things most people were generally ok with. It took time for him to adjust to some people, while others he clinged to immediately. Spy had heard of these behaviors being common with a diagnosis that wasn’t well known amongst the public. In his time in America, Spy had heard of intelligent scientists and engineers who could build incredible things but couldn’t hold a conversation to save their life. Apparently, this was called “Autism”. It wasn’t necessarily a new concept or mental disorder. Autism had been around for ages, but no one had given a name to it until just a few decades ago. The symptoms and behaviors seemed to match up. Perhaps James was autistic. It was likely true. But that didn’t matter to him at all. He loved this child regardless of their medical or mental health problems. Spy made a mental note to speak to Medic about his theory. While Medic was definitely not a psychologist, nor was he a doctor with a medical license. He was interested in these sorts of things for sure. 

A loud thunk made Spy snap out of his thoughts. James had accidentally knocked over a few books while investigating the record player sitting on a shelf. Spy quickly stood up and picked up the books before they caused the other books to fall like dominos. 

“James! Do not touch the bookshelf.” Spy shouted, maybe a little too loudly. “Please be careful next time, James. I don’t want you to get hurt.” James felt a little upset by the yelling, but once Spy lowered his volume and explained why, he was fine. They both paused in silence for a moment as the frenchman placed the books back into their neatly organized shelf.

“I see that you are interested in my record player. Would you like me to play some music?” Once James heard that, he nodded eagerly and shook his hands a little. “Yes? Ok. What type of music would you like me to play?” The child shrugged, not sure what genres were which. 

“How about I tell you what each kind of music sounds like? Then you tell me which one you would like?” Spy received a nod from James. “Ok. Classical music is slow, soft, and steady. It can get a little loud, but it will be quiet most of the time.” Spy pulled out a thin record labelled ‘Symphony No. 4’ and placed it on the table where the record player sat. 

“Swing music is very fast and loud. It’s excellent for dancing. It has singing as well.” He pulled out a plain record cover labelled ‘Best of swing’ in black ink. Then placed it next to the classical record.

“Big Band is very similar to Swing music. It has more of a focus on the instruments instead of the singers. It is quite loud, however.” Spy set the last record, which was another plain cover one with ‘Big Band’ written in ink next to the others. “So, which one would you like to listen to?” James thought through it briefly. He didn’t like it when others yelled. So Big Band might not be the best. Classical was too slow. He pointed to the one labelled ‘Best of swing’. 

“Ok, I will play this. If it becomes too much, let me know and I will stop it.” Spy set the record on the player, placing the cartridge on the vinyl record. The music started to play. The scratchy audio was a little annoying for James. But once a voice started to sing, James was happy. 

“ _ I’m not.. one of the greedy kind! All of my wants are simple! I know what’s on my mind! _ ” The song played. James moved around slowly, moving his body to the soft music. Spy watched and just smiled. This was adorable to watch. Although, he was confused as to why a song considered to be a “Jazz” song was on a record labelled ‘Best of swing’. Perhaps he didn’t realize that when he bought it twenty years ago. 

“ _I’m not.. resting until I find…_ _what would make your eyes glisten with joy!_ ” As the song played, James tried to move his lips to make the same words the singer was making. But it didn’t come out right, so he just continued to dance slowly. Spy moved along to the music as well, swaying from side to side. He saw how peaceful the kid looked as he moved about. It was heartwarming considering how the child was doing just a week ago. He was shivering and weak; but now here he was, dancing slowly to Helen Kane.

“ _ Now listen, big boy… _ ” The song continued. “ _ I wanna be loved by you! Just you! Nobody else but you! I wanna be loved by you! Loved~ Boop boop! Badoop! _ ” James started to giggle at that last part. It sounded very funny. Spy chuckled a little as well. 

As the evening went on, the songs continued. From ‘Let Me Off Uptown’ to ‘Why Don’t You Do Right?’, they continued to dance along. As the last song started to play, James yawned and sat down in one of the chairs in the room. Spy looked at the clock, realizing it was 21:00. No wonder the kid was tired. It was way past his bedtime. 

“ _ Blue skies, smilin’ at me.. _ ” James started to fall asleep in the chair he sat in. “ _ Nothin’ but blue skies, do I see… _ ” Spy grabbed a spare blanket from his closet, draping it over the child on the chair. He sat down at his desk, letting the song play.

“ _ Bluebirds singin’ a song.. Nothin’ but bluebirds all day long… Never saw the sun shinin’ so bright! Never saw things.. lookin’ so right…”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, things aren't looking so bright for the next chapter. Or at least the start of it. The ending will be nice.


	13. Behind Your Aviators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on a date with his boyfriend, Jeremy finds out that Mundy is doing a lot worse than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm posting this chapter on fucking Valentine's Day. 
> 
> btw this shit gets pretty rough  
> TW: suicide mention, terrible mental health, and eating disorder stuff (kinda)

“Well, you have somewhere to be, right? You better not be late.” Spy reminded.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jeremy let go of the kid. “I’ll see you later, little buddy!” He walked down the hall, went into his room, grabbed his hoodie from his drawers, and headed right to where Mundy said to meet him. 

It was quite chilly outside the base tonight. Jeremy quickly put on his hoodie, pulling the hood up over his hat. He walked to the camper and knocked on the door. Mundy answered within seconds.

“Hey, Love.” Mundy said as he opened the door. His tone seemed to be very soft and loving. His smile seemed genuine. A soft dusting of blush hit Jeremy's face as he heard him. It was nice hearing his boyfriend be so calm again.

"Hey, Snipes. You ready for tonight?" Jeremy asked, smiling back at him. The other nodded and let him in. Jeremy stepped into the campervan and looked around the place. He hadn't been inside here in a while. So it was surprising to see how much it changed since then. The table and bed were neatly cleaned. But the kitchen was a mess. There were dozens of coffee filters sitting stacked on top of each other at the counter along with a stack of untouched mess hall meals. Jeremy decided to ignore it for now. 

"Hey look! You cleaned the table and bed for me." Jeremy turned to Mundy with a smug grin on his face. "Were you plannin' somethin' for tonight?" His tone was a joking flirtatious one. The other blushed and chuckled nervously. 

"Nah, unless ya want to.." Mundy spoke. "But before we do anythin' else, go take a look at the top of the van!" Jeremy stepped outside and climbed up the freezing cold metal ladder. There was a few blankets and pillows laying up there. Last time they put those up there was when there was a meteor shower visible from New Mexico. 

"You were goin' to take me stargazin'?" Jeremy said, sounding really excited. "I love doin' that! Thank you, Snipes!" He jumped down from the ladder and rushed back inside. He was freezing up out there. 

“I knew you’d like that.” Mundy smiled back. Although, something felt off about his smile. Jeremy couldn’t see his face clearly at the moment due to the lack of lighting and the sunglasses he was wearing. He seemed far more nervous than usual; as if he was hiding something. Obviously, he could be anxious due to their fight a few days ago. So Jeremy passed the thought once more. 

"That's really sweet of you, babe." Jeremy said, sitting down at the table. "But.. it's way too cold out. I don't think you'll last very long out there. Besides, I have a better idea of how we can spend tonight." He beckoned Mundy to sit with him. The other followed, sitting on the other side of the table. Jeremy stared lovingly at Mundy. But his sweet smile started to fade when he caught a clearer glimpse of the other’s eyes. 

“Everythin’ ok, Love?” Mundy asked. His facade was cracking. 

“Take off your sunglasses real quick. I wanna see your eyes.” Jeremy sounded much more serious now. Mundy sighed and hesitantly removed his glasses. He set them aside, looking away from the other. Jeremy was disheartened by what he saw. Mundy looked absolutely miserable; eyes irritated and red from crying. The bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. 

“What happened? Are you ok??” Jeremy spoke.

“Nothin’. I’m fine.” Mundy continued to look away from Jeremy. He didn’t want to deal with anymore crying. 

“Mundy, I know you’re lyin’ to me.” Jeremy responded, voice cold and serious. “You look like shit right now. I saw all those mess hall meals over there. Have you been eating?? Like, at all?” He started to tear up, sniffling a little. 

“Jeremy, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter right now.” Mundy mumbled. “I didn’t wanna bring my problems into this.” 

“But you  _ are _ my problem!” Jeremy cried. “And I love you. Please tell me what’s wrong. I want to help.” 

“Are ya sure? I don’t wanna ruin our-” Mundy was cut off by Jeremy leaning over the table and pulling his head closer with his hands on each cheek. With tears still streaming down his face, Jeremy pressed his lips against the other’s. They stayed like this for just a few moments before the runner let go. 

“Please..” Jeremy whispered, voice cracking a little. “Please tell me what’s wrong.” 

“I-I haven’t been able to sleep since.. the day I yelled at you. It broke my heart havin’ to tell you like that. Medic’s been talkin’ to me whenever he has a chance to. He keeps tellin’ me ‘bout how I’ve hurt you and how I coulda caused you to.. to…” Mundy paused for a moment, wiping tears from his eyes. “He said somethin’ like ‘We can’t have a depressed 24 year old with a gun runnin’ around unsupervised’. I knew what he meant and ever since I’ve stayed up all night wonderin’ what would happen if you did.. leave.” 

“Medic made things worse for me on the field. He wouldn’t heal me at all. He’d just give me a glare and run off. He did this for the entire bloody week! All because I hurt ya..” Mundy paused to wipe away tears again. “If I’m bein’ honest, I think I deserved it. I let my fears get the best of me and I gave up on you when ya needed my help the most. All because I didn’t trust myself to take care of a kid.” The two sat there and looked at each other, tears flowing down their faces. 

“I’m so sorry.” Jeremy sniffled. “I had no idea Medic was givin’ you shit about what happened. I didn’t know he told you anything afterwards. I’m sorry I didn’t notice what he was doin’ on the battlefield. I.. I…” Jeremy broke down crying once again, his head in his hands. Mundy stood up, moving to the other side of the table. He sat down next to the runner, who leaned up against him. His sobbing continued for a couple minutes. 

“He wasn’t wrong though..” Jeremy mumbled, just barely audible. “I was thinking about leavin’ the respawn zone with my pistol.” Mundy’s heart dropped. Every fear he had was now confirmed. He sat still, processing the thoughts that went a million miles an hour in his head. Everything blurred in his head, leaving one thought clear in his mind:

‘You almost lost him.’

Mundy stared across the room for a few seconds as he thought about the other’s words. Short glimpses of what he imagined would happen if Jeremy went through with it peaked through his blurred thoughts. How he would find out, seeing the body, the countless evenings he would spend grieving, how they would tell James; it all flashed through his mind. He turned to face Jeremy, gripping his shoulders. He looked Jeremy dead in the eye, letting tears fall down. He moved his hands to his face; one hand cupping his cheek and the other brushing aside the hair in front of his face. 

“I don’t know what I would do without you.” Mundy tensed up, trying to get the words out. Then his shoulders dropped, hands loosened, and his head dropped. He sobbed louder than he had in years. All of his pent up emotions were let loose. He pulled Jeremy into a tight embrace. He continued to cry into the runner’s red hoodie. One hand gripped the back of Jeremy’s head, holding a fistful of those chestnut brown locks. The other was around the younger’s body. He cried and cried until he couldn’t anymore. Jeremy sat in the other’s arms, doing nothing but listening. He had never seen Mundy this emotional. Not once in their 2 year long relationship.

Eventually, once Mundy’s sobbing had quieted down to sniffling, the two let go of eachother. Both of them felt drained of their energy. 

“Stay the night?” Mundy asked, voice cracked and quiet from all of his crying.

“With cuddling?” Jeremy grinned.

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was difficult to write  
> Don't worry! It'll only get worse from here.


	14. Don't Run Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spy wakes up to see James has disappeared. Thankfully, it won't take long to figure it out where he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologise for not updating in forever. I've been working on the sequel to this story called Charlotte. Since I know how We'll Keep You Safe ends, I'm able to write Charlotte now instead of later.   
> I'm struggling to work on the next chapters for this story because I keep focusing on Charlotte.
> 
> Hopefully, I'll be able to get back on track with this one.

Spy let out a long yawn as he sat up in bed. He stood up and stepped outside into his main office. He headed towards the chair that James fell asleep on, hoping to surprise him with a kiss on the forehead or some other sweet gesture. But as he turned to walk in front of the chair, no one was there. The blanket had been tossed to the floor. The child’s sketchbook was still by his desk, however. 

“Non! Non! Où es-tu??” Spy panicked. He ran out of the room, completely disregarding all other things like his mask and what time it was. Thankfully, he was already fully dressed. As he ran down the hall, he found himself stopping to cough and catch his breath every few minutes. Perhaps Medic was right about his ability to run being affected by his nicotine addiction. But that didn’t matter right now.

“James! Où es-tu?!” Spy spoke, keeping his volume low enough to not wake the others but loud enough for James to hear him. “James! James!” He brought himself to a halt when he heard a child’s giggling coming from the mess hall. He quickly ran to the mess hall entrance. He was surprised by what he saw. There was James standing next to Engineer in the kitchen area, smiling and waving his hands as Engineer showed him what he was doing. He was preparing breakfast for the rest of the team. He usually made some kind of southern-style home cooked American breakfast on Sundays. 

“JAMES!” Spy yelled. Both James and Dell jumped at the sound. The kid started to whimper a little when Spy looked at him. Dell looked more confused than anything else. As well as shock that Spy didn’t wear his mask. He had seen the man’s bare face before, just not in public. 

“Do not  _ ever  _ run away from me like that again.” Spy stepped forward and James hid behind Dell, curling up a little. “Your Dad would have  _ killed _ me if he found out that I couldn’t keep you safe.” Engineer stepped in front of James, staring Spy right in the eye. 

“What do you think you’re doin’? Scarin’ a child like that!” Dell crossed his arms. “He can’t even speak and you’re yellin’ at ‘em!” Despite his height, Dell was very intimidating when he had his goggles off and used a firm voice. Especially to Spy, though it was for very different reasons than just the appearance.

“I cannot explain this unless his Dad and Pap are willing to let me tell you.” Spy said, still trying to get James to come out. He was kneeling in front of Dell, putting his hand out towards the child behind him. 

“Well, who’s this kid’s parents? I’ll just take him to ‘em myself. ‘Cause he sure doesn’t look like he wants to go with you!” Dell argued back, refusing to move.

“ _ Merde.. _ ” Spy whispered to himself, standing back up. “I will show you his drawings and you figure it out on your own. Since you are so smart..” Spy walked out of the room. Dell moved out of the way so James could stand back up. Though he didn’t move from his curled up position for a few minutes. He stood up and looked up at Dell, who looked back and smiled. Then, Spy came back into the room carrying a sketchbook and crayons. 

“Here. You figure it out, laborer.” Spy tossed the sketchbook into Dell’s hands. Dell looked through the few drawings in there. He saw the portrait of Spy, then the drawing of “Dad & Pap”, and then the drawing of James with…

“He’s Scout’s kid??” Dell exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly. “And Sniper’s??” 

“Congratulations,  _ Abeille _ . You have figured it out.” Spy snickered when Dell’s face turned a light red at the name. James stepped forward and made a grabbing motion towards the sketchbook still in the southerner’s hands. He noticed and gave the sketchbook back to the child. Then James hesitantly stepped towards Spy. He made a grabbing motion towards him. Which he didn’t understand at all. 

“I think he wants you to pick him up.” Spy looked at Dell for a moment and then back at James. He sighed and lifted James up. He held him with one arm with James clinging to his side just like Jeremy usually did. They were about to leave the room when they heard a few of the other teammates talk as they walked down the hallway. Spy and Dell both panicked. Spy stepped into a corner and fiddled with his invisibility watch. He quickly turned it on, disguising both him and James. Dell tried to act normal as the others walked in.

“What’s cookin’, Dell?” Tavish asked as he waltzed in without a single concern. He sat down at the table. Jane and Mikhail followed as well. 

“Uhh.. My Mama’s pancake recipe and bacon!” Dell smiled, still very nervous. 

“Sounds great, lad!” Tavish responded. 

“Has anyone seen Doktor?” Mikhail asked. “Have not seen him.” 

Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Spy is still holding James while disguised invisibly. James started to get a little restless in Spy’s arms, but he was able to remain pretty calm. At some point, the kid started to make a weird face and Spy noticed immediately. He tried to cover the kid’s mouth before he could make a noise, but he didn’t catch him in time. 

“Achoo!”

The entire room went dead silent. Everyone looked around for the source of the noise, wondering who could have possibly made such a high pitch and feminine noise. Dell started to sweat like crazy, as did Spy. When Mikhail and Tavish started to turn towards where Spy and the child were hidden, Dell impulsively shouted to save Spy’s cover.

“Heh, that was a weird sneeze. Sorry 'bout that!” Dell spoke a little too loudly. “Who knew I could sound like a lady, right?” Both Tavish and Mikhail looked at him with questioning glares. Jane just started laughing hysterically. He banged his fist on the table, cackling like a mad man. The others joined in. 

Spy could tell James was about to start crying. This was every trigger at once for him. The frenchman took the chance he had to run out the door. But before his cloak wore off, he ran into Ludwig. Quite literally. The two fell to the ground and James hit the floor hard. The cloak wore off as soon as the two parted. 

“Spy! Vhat on earth are you..” Ludwig sat up, seeing Spy sit up as well. They both glanced at eachother and then at the kid. James laid face down on the floor. But he wasn’t moving. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t doing anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Concussions are fun 
> 
> Also I can't write engie for shit


End file.
